Lexmark posts slight decline in quarter as sale looms

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Lexmark International Inc., the Lexington-based maker of printers and management software that’s in the process of being purchased by a Chinese technology company, announced third quarter results as well as a dividend.

Revenue was down slightly for the quarter compared with last year’s results, falling to $844 million from $851 million in 2015. Gross profit and operating revenue margins both rose. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of 36 cents per share. That dividend, however, disappears if the company’s sale goes through before Dec. 16.

In April, Lexmark announced it was being purchased by a group of investors headed by China-based Apex Technology and PAG Asian Capital. The deal, valued at $3.6 billion, has faced regulatory and security scrutiny in both countries. The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment gave it’s approval for the deal in late September.

Still remaining is the approval from China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange. The transaction is expected to close in 2016.